At the end of August, after a summer of lazing around and waking up every morning to think, "What can I do today to have fun?", no dinners planned, hanging out in the bathing suit all day, .....we start to yearn for structure in our lives again. So I ask the kids, "what would you like to do this year?" "Soccer! Violin lessons! Swim team! Piano!" No mother wants to inhibit such talent desiring goals as these, so I exclaim back, OK! OK! OK!.
And now here we are in October and I am already feeling the burnout. How do I make dinner, get Katy and Cami to swim lessons, while getting Maddie to violin lessons, while feeding the baby?
It all came to a head in the swimming pool a couple days ago. I had picked up the girls directly from school and took them to their lessons. They were not happy with the swimsuits I had picked out for them. I somehow managed to wrangle them into the orange and yellow suits (not the pink ones I should have brought) and got them out to the pool deck. They both refuised to get into the water...it was too cold, they said. Cami was doubly worried because she had had immunizations and was petrified to get her bandaids wet...no matter how many times I had told her that there were no 'owwies' under the bandaids. Anyway, after crying and screaming (them not I), I marched them out of the pool, into the van and took them home. I sent them to their rooms and told them they were not allowed out the rest of the night. They both promptly feel asleep and slept until 7am the next morning.
All evening long I stewed about how bad a mom I was. Why could I not get my kids to do anything and why are they the most disobedient, grumpy kids in the world.
But the next day they woke up like nothing had happened and were total angels. I realized then we had all been exhausted. And I more than anyone has overextended herself. I remember doing this in high school. I would sign up for everything and anything and then collapse having not anything done well. Figuring out the best use of my time has always been a weakness. That choice between two (or three or ten) good things always bewilders me and I end up trying to do it all. It is the plight of the wannabe energetic.
So anyway, yesterday Cami asked me if she could go to dance class.....
3 comments:
Hi Lisa,
It doesn't get any better as your kids age. Now Kelly is super busy, and a good mom would make sure there was food he would like to eat available for the ten minutes he is around - which is ten minutes after I get home from work and before the next thing that needs to be done. What ever food I have planned and prepare will be eschewed because it is not the ubiquitous hamburger. I can stand only so much hamburger. Then Jessie will not touch it because those cows have not been humanely treated and the rest of us are morally degenerate to touch meat. Also throw employment and church callings into the mix, and it doesn't matter your energy level because it will never be enough. It's really a shame because all the things we do are so interesting...
Like mom said, "you can do anything, but you can't do everything". I have thoroughly tested this out and found it to be true! My goal this year is simple - to actually cook regular, nutritious meals for my family. Since I don't have a baby to nurse, since I only work a third of a full-time contract, since I have 2 children that drive and are adults, since Devin has quit basketball and I haven't yet signed him up for music lessons, and since I am not still recovering from surgery or childbirth, I have high hopes of accomplishing this goal. Now if I can only get my family to accept the nutritious aspect of the afore-mentioned meals and to not consume so much cold cereal after school as to no longer be hungry, we might make it!
BTW - if the girls don't go to swimming lessons for a few years, they will learn to swim overnight when they are older. Ditto music and sports. Feed them and hug them and let the rest go hang!
Lisa-
hope you don't mind me stopping in. I just have to say I TOTALLY struggle with this, and I've only got 2. Today after preschool, despite many previous incidents and warnings, Olivia took off BOOKING it through Hamden High while I'm chasing madly behind with Ben bouncing in my arms. Then she did it again outside where some sort of Patriotic parade was happening with people in uniform, etc...she was grumpy when we got home, and I was upset...then after a long nap, out she came, as sweet as can be. It is amazing what a simple nap can do. And don't get me started on figuring out how to spend my time most "effectively"...does that even exist as a mom? If you figure it out - let me know! You are an awesome mom and have an adorable family. I can't wait to get them behind the camera next week!
Post a Comment